January is the second month of the ‘New Age of Heroes,’ the beginning of the next Flash-centric event, and the first cancellation of the ‘Rebirth’ era – let’s dig in!
10. Wait, huh?
I know that certain properties need more TLC and planning than others do, but isn’t it sort of crazy that since ‘Flashpoint,’ we have had twice as many Raven series as we’ve had Justice Society, Shazam, Booster Gold, Plastic Man, or Zatanna series. Having creator Marv Wolfman on board is fun, but this 12-issue series seems like a bit of a waste of resources. I don’t believe the prior “Raven” series sold all that well, so unless this is DC’s way of keeping Wolfman happy, I really don’t get it.
That said, Pop Mhan’s art is great, so the book should be at least something nice to look at.
RAVEN: DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS #1
Written by MARV WOLFMAN
Art by POP MHAN
Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
Variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
In this all-new miniseries, Raven faces a new, otherworldly menace that is all too grounded in reality. Plus, Raven’s personal life is in an uproar as her mother and aunt struggle for the soul of a Titan! It’s up to Baron Winters of the Night Force to intercede on her behalf as she embarks on the adventure called “The Girls With the Anime Eyes”!
On sale JANUARY 10 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 12, $3.99 US • RATED T
9. More Superhero Girls
This is a series that I was aware of before my daughter started to show interest in superheroes, but now that my daughter is into this stuff, I am so thankful whenever a new book gets released. These books are obviously not part of any DC continuity other than its own, but they manage to bring in so many fun aspects of DC history, and this solicit name drops S.T.A.R. Labs, Deadshot, and Jim Gordon on a date. These are great gateway drugs to deeper DC lore for the young fan in your lives.
DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: DATE WITH DISASTER TP
Written by SHEA FONTANA
Art and cover by YANCEY LABAT
From the highly successful DC SUPER HERO GIRLS line of original graphic novels comes the latest title, starring Batgirl!
Catwoman is out on the prowl one night when kaboom! An explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs rouses the heroes from their slumber. Star students Batgirl and Lois Lane both know the lab incident is fishy, and they meet later to share clues. But nothing could’ve prepared Batgirl for what they see next: Batgirl’s dad out on a date! Batgirl is grossed out until her friends convince her that dads get lonely, too. And with the school dance coming up and everyone pairing off—heck, even Principal Waller has a date with a guy called Deadshot—maybe it’ll be okay. The girls place a personal ad for Commissioner Gordon while they delve deeper into the mystery surrounding the explosion, but they’re about to discover more than who is behind the attack on S.T.A.R. Labs. Could it be that posting an ad looking for dates for the commissioner is like advertising catnip for criminals?
On sale JANUARY 31 • 128 pg, FC, 6” x 9”, $9.99 US • ISBN: 978-1-4012-7878-6
8. Cleanup on aisle “Trinity”
James Robinson, since returning to DC, is seemingly playing around in the areas that he missed while he was over at Marvel, from Grail/baby Darkseid on “Wonder Woman” to this, his upcoming “Trinity” arc, where he is working with Deimos, a central character from “Convergence.” Robinson is a master at making continuity fit, and it looks like DC has dispatched him to make “Convergence” fit a little better, somehow. It doesn’t hurt that “Trinity” has been a bit of a mess lately, and hasn’t seen Francis Manapul with any consistency at all.
Continued belowTRINITY #17
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art and cover by PATCH ZIRCHER
Variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details. Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
“No Home for you Here” part one! Batman and Superman embarked on a quest to help Wonder Woman rediscover Themyscira, but finding Diana’s lost homeland proves more difficult than these three heroes expected. While on their journey, a distress call from a nearby ship turns out to be more than meets the eye, and the Trinity find themselves marooned on the dread island of Skartaris. To make their way back home, our heroes will have to overcome Deimos, who will stop at nothing to seal off Skartaris from the rest of world forever!
On sale JANUARY 17 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
7. The last one?
Over the past few months, we’ve seen a lot of Vertigo miniseries get solicited, all of which end in June or July. This makes a lot of sense, as the line is relaunching in August, and this is reminiscent of all the solicitations that were dropping for DC pre-“Flashpoint,” where it seemed like editorial was cleaning out its drawers. That’s not a knock of these series, some of which – like “Motherlands” – look super fun.
But I get the impression that this is going to be the last or, perhaps, the penultimate, series of this ilk to be announced. Most of 2018 is going to be hibernation for Vertigo’s big return on 8-8-18.
MOTHERLANDS #1
Written by SI SPURRIER
Art by RACHAEL STOTT
Cover by ERIC CANETE
Variant cover by KIM JUNG-GI
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
In a crazed future where unhinged technologies and interconnected parallel Earths have given rise to a spectacular class of super-criminal, the most beloved celebrities aren’t actors or rock stars, but the bounty hunters who traverse an exotic multiverse in search of impossible prey! But when the spotlight-shunning, strait-laced tracer known as Tab finds herself in an ultra-violent race for her greatest prize yet, she’s forced to work with her greatest enemy, the only person capable of IDing him: her own elderly, overbearing and hypercritical mother, who was once the most fabulous and celebrated bounty hunter of them all.
A sci-fi action comedy blacker than dragon s***, MOTHERLANDS is the dimension-hopping, criminal-blasting story of two extraordinary women written by Si Spurrier (SUICIDE SQUAD, The Spire) with art by Rachael Stott (Star Trek/Planet of the Apes, Sex Criminals).
On sale JANUARY 31 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS
6. Thank goodness this isn’t a Rorschach series
There was a rumor going around that the various panels that Tom King and Jason Fabok were teasing on Twitter were going to be revealed to be a Rorschach series, tying into “Doomsday Clock. Thankfully, we were all wrong, and it was this, a Swamp Thing special. Interestingly, this is a square bound book and, at 80 pages, also includes the last “Swamp Thing” story by co-creator Len Wein, who completed the script before his death earlier this year.
That script was meant as part of a new series, which I presume was going to be similar to the “Raven” story I mentioned above, a sequel to a miniseries from last year, as Wein and Kelley Jones did a Swampy mini last year, too.
SWAMP THING WINTER SPECIAL #1
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by JASON FABOK
Bonus story written by LEN WEIN
Bonus story art by KELLEY JONES
Tom King and Jason Fabok pay tribute to the legendary creators of Swamp Thing, writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, as they join forces for an earth-shattering Swamp Thing passion project!In this new, squarebound one-shot, Swamp Thing is out of his element as he shepherds a lost boy through a blinding blizzard and other hazards of a strange, frozen tundra. In this touching and harrowing tale of survival, the pair must navigate countless threats throughout a bewildering terrain—with a bloodthirsty snow monster hot on their heels. But how long can they rely on each other? Separated from the Green and stripped of his powers in this dead world, Swamp Thing struggles to fight for their lives and deliver the boy to safety. Disoriented and decaying, Swamp Thing’s fading understanding of his surroundings forces the duo to confront their desperation and uncover the true identity of the snow monster that hunts them.
In addition, this special features the final Swamp Thing story from the monster’s co-creator, Len Wein. Originally intended as the start of a new series, it is presented here both in its original script form and with art by Kelley Jones.
ONE-SHOT • On sale JANUARY 31 • 80 pg, FC, $7.99 US • RATED T
5. This looks wonderful, even
Hands down the highlight of the teases we saw for the second wave of Hanna Barbera books, “Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles” is a story about Snaglepuss as a “gay Southern playwright” who is called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Yeah, you read that right. Mark Russell seems to be mining territory not dissimilar to his unexpected “Flintstones” series, and that is reason to be excited for this book.
EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES #1
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art by MIKE FEEHAN
Cover by BEN CALDWELL
Variant cover by EVAN “DOC” SHANER
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
It’s 1953. While the United States is locked in a nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union, the gay Southern playwright known as Snagglepuss is the toast of Broadway. But success has made him a target. As he plans for his next hit play, Snagglepuss becomes the focus of the House Committee on Un-American Activities. And when powerful forces align to purge show business of its most subversive voices, no one is safe!
Drama! Humor! Tragedy! It all starts in Exit Stage LEFT: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #1, a new miniseries from the writer who brought you the Flintstones.
On sale JANUARY 3 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $3.99 US • RATED T+
4. This means (Flash) War!
One of the problems with solicitations is that, if you pay attention to them, stories somewhat get spoiled. Right now in “Titans,” Wally West the elder is ‘dead.’ Now, I don’t think anyone really thinks that Rebirth’s biggest return would be gone after 18 months is probably a little too naive, but the point still stands: this cover has Wally alive and well (and drawn by someone other than Brett Booth!).
And while a story about the Flashes fighting each other is not at all what I want from this book, I am glad to see multiple Flashes running around again – let’s just get them running together, not at each other.
THE FLASH ANNUAL #1
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art by CHRISTIAN DUCE
Cover by HOWARD PORTER
“FLASH WAR” prelude! The biggest Flash story of 2018 starts here, with a special story starring the classic Wally West, who’s conflicted over whether to let Iris West know he is alive—and he’ll need the help of the Flash to figure out what to do! But when Magenta, Wally’s old love, needs his help, the Flash returns home to Keystone City where he is confronted with violent memories of an unknown world…A major turning point for the Flash family that sets the path for earth shattering stories in 2018!
On sale JANUARY 31 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
3. See ya, Jimmy and Amanda
The long-standing “Harley Quinn” writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner have departed the series, making way for Frank Tieri and Inaki Miranda to jump on the book. I wonder if this is DC’s attempt to bring this book back towards the standard DC continuity, or if they will continue to let Harley be an island unto herself in her solo title.
HARLEY QUINN #35
Written by FRANK TIERI
Art by INAKI MIRANDA
Cover by AMANDA CONNER
Variant cover by FRANK CHO
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
“Man-Batter Up” part one! Harley’s in a dark, dark place after the hard right turn her life took…so when the citizens of Coney Island say it was a mysterious “bat” that kidnapped one of her friends, she is not going to take it lying down!
On sale JANUARY 3 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
2. The Terrifics
To say that I am jazzed about this book undersells it to an almost comical degree. It’s a Fantastic Four pastiche, with some of DC’s best and least utilized characters, it is written by Jeff Lemire, and the rotating artists are Ivan Reis and Evan “Doc” Shaner. This is Brian-nip, and I cannot wait to dig in.
Continued belowAlso, Tom Strong?
THE TERRIFICS #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Cover by IVAN REIS
Bound together by fate, united by the spirit of exploration and hope for tomorrow, the Terrifics are bound from the Dark Multiverse of Metal! When Mr. Terrific, Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Phantom Girl find themselves literally bound together by a tragic accident, our team of unlikely allies must rely on one another to make their way back home. But a startling revelation on their return trip brings them face to face with a new mystery: Where in the universe is Tom Strong?
Advance solicited • On sale FEBRUARY 7 • 32 pg, FC $2.99 US • FOLDOUT COVER • RATED T+
1. So long, Superwoman
So, this is it: the first cancelled series from ‘Rebirth.’ To call it cancelled seems like a stretch, as this seems like a fairly planned conclusion to a set story. That said, I’m really sad to see it go. K. Perkins has been doing a really fine job, as did Phil Jimenez before her (who returns to draw the final cover, a lovely companion piece to the #1 cover), and the book has been bringing so many great pieces of Super/Metropolis-lore into ‘Rebirth.’ I hope that DC keeps Lana Lang in this role (partially because I have a bet with the other DC3cast hosts). Fare thee well, “Superwoman.”
Side note: “Batwoman” is written by Perkins this month – maybe a new World’s Finest Women series can be forthcoming?
SUPERWOMAN #18
Written by K. PERKINS
Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and ART THIBERT
Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
Variant cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details. Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
“THE MIDNIGHT HOUR” finale! A day in the life of Superwoman…but someone else is in the driver’s seat! Will Superwoman manage to break her mind free from Midnight’s digital grasp and dispel her twisted protocol once and for all?
On sale JANUARY 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • FINAL ISSUE
For the full solicitations, check out Newsarama.
